William Dix

William Dix
(Cir 1799-1882)

Family Links

Spouses/Children:
Isabella Day

William Dix ² ³ ⁴

Born: Cir 1799, Gayton, Staffordshire ⁵ ⁶
Christened: 8 Dec 1799, Sandon, Stafford ⁷
Marriage: Isabella Day on 27 Jun 1826 in Duffield, Derby ¹
Died: 11 Dec 1882, Chapel St, Beeston, Notts ⁵ ⁸ ⁹

General Notes:

http://www.beeston-notts.co.uk/dix.shtml

"It is not clear why William Dix moved to Beeston - where he served as village blacksmith for over 50 years - from Gayton in Staffordshire where he was born in 1799. Perhaps he had moved to become apprenticed to a local blacksmith or perhaps he took over an existing smithy - this has to be speculation. It does appear, however, that he first occupied premises converted for him by his father-in-law. William Day, on Market Street (now Middle Street). Day, originally a framework knitter, had developed the site there to include the White Lion public house in the late 18th century.

Whether William Dix met Isabella after moving there or whether Day made the changes to accomodate his new son-in-law is also not clear; which ever way it was, there are indications that the proposed marriage and its circumstances had caused difficulties with her parents. Isabella was only 16, nine years younger than William, the twelfth and youngest child of William & Catherine Day. The wedding, for reasons that can only be guessed at, took place in Duffield, Derbyshire in June 1826. Perhaps, as we have seen often, this was a case of parental disapproval, escape from the tie of the parental care role traditionally expected of the youngest daughter - and the imperitive of a child who arrived within five months of the marriage. Whatever the circumstances then, it was the start of a long marriage of over 56 years with eleven children, most of whom were born and raised in the tiny cottage associated with the forge on what is now Wollaton Road where the family appear to have moved to early in their marriage, and certainly before 1840. Four of these children appear not to have survived childhood and another son died at age 13, but each of the other six was to make a significant and varied contribution in Beeston and beyond, to show how one family from a simple cottage in a small community can go on to have a remarkably wide impact."

¹⁰

Chronology:

In 1826 at the time of the baptism of his first child, Ann, he was a Blacksmith living in Beeston, Notts. ¹¹

From 1851 to 1871 he was a Black Smith living at The Forge, Butcher Lane, Beeston with wife and family. As of 2005 the house was in use as an Estate Agent office. It is on the opposite side of Butcher Lane (now Wollaton Rd) from the Markam's Commercial Inn and below Swiss Mills. ¹² ¹³

In 1881 he was described as a Retired Shoeing Smith and was living at Chapel St, Beeston with wife, son Samuel and 12 year old grandson William Dix. ¹⁴

William married Isabella Day, daughter of William Day and Catherine Calledine, on 27 Jun 1826 in Duffield, Derby.¹ (Isabella Day was born about 1809 in Beeston, Notts ¹⁵ ¹⁶, christened on 4 Feb 1810 in Beeston, Notts ¹⁷ and died on 23 Dec 1882 in Beeston, Notts ⁹ ¹⁸.)

1 The Church of Latter Day Saints, International Genealogical Index, www.familysearch.org/, Marriage. ISABELLA DAY
Female Marriages:
Spouse: WILLIAM DICKS OR DIX
Marriage: 27 JUN 1826 Duffield, Derby, England.

2 The Church of Latter Day Saints, International Genealogical Index, www.familysearch.org/, Birth AD 1826.

3 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bewickgenealogy/census/bees.htm (1851), 1851 C. Z/11/158/TOP BUTCHERS LANE//END OF DISTRICT NO 1C BEESTON PARISH/ J/WILLIAM/DIX/HEAD/MAR/52//BLACK SMITH/STS/GAYTON/ J/ISABELLA/DIX/W/MAR//42//NTT/BEESTON/ J/ANN/DIX/D/U//24/DRESS MAKER/NTT/BEESTON/ J/EDWARD/DIX/SON/U/22//FRAME SMITH/NTT/BEESTON/ J/CATHERINE/DIX/D///16/DRESS MAKER/NTT/BEESTON/ J/TIMOTHY/DIX/SON//11//SCHOLAR/NTT/BEESTON/ J/ELIZA/DIX/D///.917//NTT/BEESTON/.

4 JP (researchng Cox) 2004, Census 1861. William Dix, H, M, 62, Black Smith, Gayton, Staff Isabella, W, M, 52? 57? (Hard to make out) Timothy, S, U, 20, Lace Machine Builder Eliza, D, 10 Samuel, S, 4 Joseph Towle, Apprentice, U, 19, Black Smith, Sawley, Derbyshire.

5 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bewickgenealogy/census/bees.htm (1851).

6 Ancestry.com Online Census and BMD, www.ancestry.com, 1861C 1871C 1881C. All censuses show birthplace as Gayton but ages are 1851 52, 1861 62, 1871 74, 1881 85.

7 The Church of Latter Day Saints, International Genealogical Index, www.familysearch.org/, WILLIAM DIX Male Event(s): Birth: Christening: 08 DEC 1799 Sandon, Stafford, England Death: Burial: Parents: Father: THOMAS DIX Mother: MARTHA. Tentative - Sandon is about 3k NW of Gayton along the Trent. We also have a Basford death of Thomas Dix in 1838 which could be William & Isabella's child.

8 The Church of Latter Day Saints, International Genealogical Index, www.familysearch.org/, Census 1881.

10 David Hallam (Specialist in 19th Century Beeston and District), http://www.beeston-notts.co.uk, http://www.beeston-notts.co.uk/dix.shtml.

13 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bewickgenealogy/census/bees.htm (1851), 1851C. Z/11/158/TOP BUTCHERS LANE//END OF DISTRICT NO 1C BEESTON PARISH/ J/WILLIAM/DIX/HEAD/MAR/52//BLACK SMITH/STS/GAYTON/ J/ISABELLA/DIX/W/MAR//42//NTT/BEESTON/ J/ANN/DIX/D/U//24/DRESS MAKER/NTT/BEESTON/ J/EDWARD/DIX/SON/U/22//FRAME SMITH/NTT/BEESTON/ J/CATHERINE/DIX/D///16/DRESS MAKER/NTT/BEESTON/ J/TIMOTHY/DIX/SON//11//SCHOLAR/NTT/BEESTON/ J/ELIZA/DIX/D///.917//NTT/BEESTON/.

15 JP (researchng Cox) 2004, I checked the christenings for Beeston, and there's only one Isabella, Isabella Day, for 1805, her birth year from the 1881 census info. Isabella Day's parents are William & Catherine, and two of the Dix children are William & Catherine... However, there's a *second* Isabella Day christened February 4, 1810 - also the daughter of William & Catherine. Was this the same girl, baptised twice? A second girl, and the census was off on her age by 5 years? I can't say for sure.

16 Ancestry.com Online Census and BMD, www.ancestry.com, 1851 - 1881C. 1851 42, 1861 52, 1871 63, 1881 76.

18 Ancestry.com Online Census and BMD, www.ancestry.com, BDM. Name: DIX, Isabella Record Type: Deaths Age at death: 78 Quarter: December Year: 1882 District: Basford County: Derbyshire Nottinghamshire Volume: 7b 97.

William Dix 2 3 4

William Dix ² ³ ⁴